Target-carrier.



W. P. PINKSTON. TARGET CARRIER. APPLICATION FILED PIJB.15, 1909. i

- Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

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; W. P. PINKSTON.

TARGET CARRIER.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB. 15, 1909.

91 9 ,378, Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

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WITNESSES BY ATTORNEY.

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,best apparent from a detailed UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TARGET-CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. April 27, 1909.

Application filed February 15, 1909. Serial No. 478,121.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. PINKS- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Target-Carriers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention ments in target carriers; and it consists 1n the construction and arrangement of parts more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Fi ure 1 is a plan of a race-way over which the dummy animal or other target is supposed to travel, the carrier being shown in top plan; Fig. is a top plan of the truck and rails or track on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4. is a vertical transverse section on the line of 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the truck and target lookin from the position of the marksman; and ig. 6 is a vertical transverse section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

The object of my invention is to substitute for the prevailing form of belt conveyers for targets, a convenient form of truck which can be made to support a target of any size, and where the target is on the order of a dummy animal such as a deer, bear and the like this dummy may be constructed of a size to resemble the natural animal. Conveyer belts have the disadvantage in that the size of the target capable of being secured thereto is limited.

A further object is to construct a truck on which the target may be mounted in such a way that the target will topple over or fall always from the audience or marksman whereby the righting of it or the automatic restoring of the target to an upright position for the next projectile or bullet is rendered certain, such ri hting being effected by de vices disposed along the line of travel of the truck.

Eaja'lhe advantages of the invention will be description thereof which is as follows 2- Referring to the drawings, A represents a race-course of any conventional form over which the target It (in this instance a rabbit) is constantly running. In the present instance the course is composed of a pair of rails 1, 2, spaced a suitable distance apart,

has relation to improve the rail 1 being the narrower of the two. Over these rails runs a truck 3 having a pair of rear wheels 10 and a front smaller pair of wheels or casters w. The truck is impelled or drawn by an endless cable 0 which is passed through the terminal eyes 4, of a pair of rods or stems 5, depending from the bottom of the truck into the slot or cable-way 8 formed between and below the adjacent edges of the rails, the cable having a knot it" formed behind the rear stem 5 of any truck, said knot bearing against the adjacent end of a cushioning spring 6 coiled about the cable. The opposite end of the spring bears against the adjacent loop 4 and as the draft is exerted on the cable the truck is drawn along the track composed of the rails 1 and 2. The spring 6 being yielding removes any jar in the drawing of the truck about the raceway. To reduce the friction especially when making a turn, I preferably provide the stems 5 with anti-friction rollers 7.

Disposed over the longitudinal center of the platform of the truck is a tumbling bar or rocker bar 8 terminating in spindles 9, 9 about which the bar is free to rock, the spin dies being loosely received in the loops or bearings 10, 10, the former bearing 10 being fixed, and the latter bearing or loop being hinged to the platform, the hinge 7L being hollow and provided with a self-closing spring as used on screen-doors. lVhen the hinged loop 10' is swun open it permits the removal of the tumbling bar S (Fig. 5) for purposes of packing or disassembling of the truck and its target. To the tumbling bar the target R is secured, being a sheet of metal suitably painted and cut to the profile of the animal which it is intended to represent. The target is secured by means of screws passed through the basal flanges or feet 12 bent from the metal.

Cut in the )latform of the truck beneath the tumbling ar 8 is an opening 0, on each side of which and to the bottom of the platform is hinged a leaf or plate 13 to the inner end of which is secured an arm 14, the outer ends of said hinged plates being provided with flexed pendent arms 15, 15 as shown. The free ends of the arms 14 are each provided with a cord or chain 16 whose outer end is fastened by ieans of a snap-hook (Z to an eye or loop 6 on the tumbler bar 8. If the leaf 13 is left to itself it will hang down as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in which event the 11 (Fig. 3) on the order of a door-spring such arm 14 will point upward toward the opening 0 of the truck platform and loosen the cord. If however the pendent arm '15 is -raised must be whenriding L 16. or lifted as it necessarily over the rail 2, it swings the leaf 13 upward thereby depressing the arm 14 which depression tightens the cord 16. Obviously this result followsfrom the fact that the arm 14' points from the hinge aXis of the leaf in a di rection opposite to the arm 15 so that as one arm is raised the other is depressed and vice versa.

Now, in the operation of the target, and as the truck is drawn over the rails 1, 2, it so happens that one of the i-pendent arms 15 always rides'overthe wide rail 2, that being the rail farthest from the audience or marksman, "whereas the opposite pendent arm 15 projects beyond the narrowrail and hangs loose,thereby-leaving the cord 16'attachedto the arm 14, of its immediate leaf -13, loose. Sothat-the cord 16'whichis drawn taut is-the one from the rifieman-orfrom the audience. The cord 16 being taut thus prevents the rocking of the tumbler bar 8 towardthe audionce, since the tautness of the corddetermines the limit of oscillation for the tumbler bar in that direction. It therefore follows that when the target is struck itcan only fall away from "the 'rifleman or toward the wide rail'2. Of couise the falling of'the tar get 'will tighten the opposite cord -16-or that attached to the arm 14 of the loosely-hanging leaf 18. In-order to right the target forthe next shot I distribute at intervals'along-the sidesof the narrow rail 1, a'series of wedges or inclined blocks 17. When the animal R has fallen, and as the truck advances, the arm 15 adjacent the'narro'w-rail 1 will interinittently'ride overthe'wedges 17 which rise to the level of the'rail '1, wherebythe cord 16 and its'target have=been righted.

tightened by the fall of the-target will now be'drawn'upon with the gradual depression of the arn l' coupled'to the leaf l3 which-is being raisedby reason of the elevation of the pendant 15by the inclined face of the wedge 17, and by the time the arm 15-has passed overthe top of the wedge the tumbler bar By this time the pendant 15' on the side of thenarrow rail, has passed off the wedge, loosened its immediate cord 16, restoring the arts to their firstposition, the cord*16 identi ed'with the arm 15 operating over the wide rail 2 being made taut by the restoration ofthe parts to their normzthposition.

For an endless course like'that shown in Course '110 =1,'it is obvious" that what is the outer shooting is done as'the targets are not in proper position. To bring about the change in the rails as above outlined, for an endless course, slight offset must be made at the point of transition from one rail width to the other (Fig.1). The cable 8 of course, may be propelled by any system of pulleys driven from a shaft, alloi' which is well understood and known in the art and requires no description in this connection. The truck may be provided with cushioning knobs L if desired. The pendants 15 of course, travelon their convex sides so as to readily pass over their respective surfaces, -viz., the rail 2 and wedges 17.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a target carrier,a traveling truck a target hinged thereto, a pair of :railsrfor the passage of the truck thereover, -means .-interposed "between one of the rails and target ior'holding the latter against falling toward the opposite rail, and intermediate devices between saidlast-rail and target for righting the target after it-has dropped-under impact of the bullet.

2. In combination with a pair of :rails spaced a-suitable distance apart, atruck trave ing-thereover, a cable between-the rails-for propelling the truck, at'arget hinged on the truck between the rails, devices inter osed between the target and one *of the 'ra' s .for preventing the falling of the target toward the opposite rail, and devices interposed be tween said opposite rail and-targetdor-righting the latter when it has fallen under impact with'the bullet.

3. In combination with -a pair of rails spaced a suitable distance apart, a" truck traveling thereover, a tumbler bar or rocker disposed in-the general direction of travel of the truck mounted on-the truck, aleaf or;plat'e hinged to'the truck'on each side Of'lDhGihUIIlbler banterminal pendent arms at the outer ends of the-leaves, arms atthe inner ends-of the leaves rojecting in a direction opposite to the pen ants cords connecting the arms to'thetumbler'bar, the pend-ant of one of the leaves permanently riding over the adjacent rail and tilting the-leaf in proper direction-to pull taut the cord leading fromthe inner arm of the leaito-the tumbler bar, whereby the tumbler bar is .prevent-ed from rocking toward the opposite rail,a targetsecured to the tumbler ba1',-and a seriesof-blocksor wedges disposed along the sides of the opposite rail and engaging the pendant oi' the oppositelealj' thereby tilting the leaf to draw on the cord and right the'tumbler :and target after the-latter has dropped toward-theopposite rail.

4. In combination with a-t'rack, a truck traveling thereover, an oscillating target mounted on the truck, devices on one side: of the target cooperating with \the track'for holding the target against falling toward the site rail and adapted to be brought periodicopposite side, and devices on said opposite ally into cooperation with the target for side cooperating with the track for righting righting the target after the latter has the target after the latter has fallen. 1 dropped under impact With the bullet.

5. In combination with a pair of mils In testimony whereof I affix my signature, speceii a sililita'ble distance a. sit, a truck in presence of two Witnesses. trave in t ereover, an ose' atin tar et mounte on the truck, devices co perati ng WILLIAM PINKSTON' with one of the rails and target for holding Witnesses: the latter against falling toward the o posite EMIL STAREK, rail, and means disposed adjacent sai oppo- 1 Jos. A. MICHEL. 

